Year 1 Maths in Australia: What Your Child Learns

In Year 1, maths becomes a little more structured — but it stays hands-on and playful. Children work with bigger numbers, start adding and subtracting, and notice patterns everywhere. The focus is on *understanding*, not speed.

This guide explains what your child learns in Year 1 maths under the Australian Curriculum, the skills to watch for, and easy ways to help at home.

What your child learns in Year 1

Australian maths is organised into six areas. Here is what each looks like in Year 1.

Number

Children count forwards and backwards to and from 120, group numbers into tens and ones, and add and subtract small quantities they can model with objects.

Algebra

Recognising, copying and continuing repeating patterns, and skip-counting by twos, fives and tens.

Measurement

Comparing and ordering objects by length, mass and capacity, telling time to the hour and half-hour, and naming the days of the week and the seasons.

Space

Naming and sorting 2D shapes and 3D objects, and describing position and movement — "a quarter turn", "to the left".

Statistics

Collecting and sorting information and showing it in simple displays to answer a question.

Probability

Describing the chance of everyday events using words like "will", "might" and "won't".

💡 Parent tip: Year 1 maths leans heavily on counting fluency. A child who can count confidently to 100 finds everything else easier.

🖼️ Image: Children using a number line and counters for simple addition. *(Replace this line with your uploaded image.)*

What is new compared to Foundation

Real-life maths in Year 1

• Counting collections of toys and sharing snacks equally.
• Reading o'clock and half-past on a real clock.
• Sorting and grouping things during tidy-up time.
• Spotting and naming shapes around the house.

Skills to look for by the end of Year 1

By the end of the year, most students can:

• Count to and from 120
• Group numbers into tens and ones
• Add and subtract small numbers
• Skip-count by 2s, 5s and 10s
• Tell time to the hour and half-hour
• Continue a repeating pattern

Where Year 1 students often struggle

• Counting backwards. Going "10, 9, 8…" is much harder than counting up — and it is what subtraction is built on.
• Teen numbers. "Thirteen" sounds like "thirty", which confuses many children.
• Place value. The idea that 14 means *one ten and four ones*.

💡 Parent tip: Practise counting backwards from 20 together. It is harder than forwards, and it is the foundation of subtraction.

How you can help at home

• Count backwards together — from 10, then 20.
• Play with coins and count small amounts.
• Do "o'clock check-ins" through the day.
• Play dice and card games.
• Hunt for numbers on signs and letterboxes.

Try a few Year 1 questions

1. What is 6 + 3?
2. Count backwards from 15 to 10.
3. What comes next: 2, 4, 6, 8, ___?
4. The little hand points to 3 and the big hand to 12 — what time is it?

🎯 Want more? Explore our free maths worksheets and practice activities.

Free maths worksheets

Printable, curriculum-aligned practice helps build confidence. Browse our free maths worksheets.

Does this change by state?

Year 1 maths is very similar nationwide. NSW groups its curriculum into stages (Year 1 sits in Stage 1), but the skills your child learns are the same.

Keep going

• ← Foundation maths guide
• → Year 2 maths guide
• 📘 The complete Australian maths curriculum guide

Year 1 is a counting year. Make counting a daily game and the rest follows naturally.